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Taliban blocks Voice of America and BBC broadcasts

2022-03-28 19:49:01Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Taliban blocks Voice of America and BBC broadcasts

The Taliban has banned private television stations in Afghanistan from broadcasting Voice of America and the BBC news programmes.

It is the latest move among several restrictions on freedom of expression the Islamic group has imposed on Afghan media since it took control of the country in August.

The voice of America, whose headquarters are located in Washington, immediately denounced the Taliban's decision to remove its programs from television broadcasting.

"We urge the Taliban to reconsider this unfortunate and disturbing decision," Voice of America's acting director Yolanda Lopez said in a statement Sunday. "The restrictions on information the Taliban are trying to impose are in controversy with the freedom of expression that the Afghan people deserve," Ms Lopez said.

The U.S. broadcast network produces a half-hour news bulletin in Pashto and Dari, the two main languages spoken in Afghanistan, through partner channels TOLO news and Shamshad TV.

Ms Lopez added that "while we are disappointed and saddened by taliban orders for partner television channels in the country, our commitment to providing the people of Afghanistan with fact-based information is such that Voice of America will continue on television, radio, and online www.pashtovoa.com, www.darivoa.com, as well as social media."

The head of foreign language broadcasting at the BBC World Service also called on the Taliban to lift the ban measure for their news editions.

"THE BBC's television news editions in pashto, Persian and Uzbek languages have been removed from broadcasting in Afghanistan, after the Taliban ordered partner television to remove international broadcasters from their waves," Tarik Kafala confirmed in a statement sunday.

"This is a worrying development in a period of uncertainty and unrest for the people of Afghanistan," Mr Kafala said.

He noted that "every week over six million Afghans benefit from independent and impartial BBC journalism through television and it is vital not to be prevented from this approach in the future".

When asked to comment on whether they have ordered Afghan channels to remove international broadcasters from television waves, a Taliban information ministry spokesman told Voice of America it would gather information and return a response.

Local and international critics say the media and freedom of expression have deteriorated under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

Afghan journalists are constantly arrested and raped by security forces. The interim Taliban government has adopted the "rules of journalism", where the media predicts the media's implementation of this grouping of Islamic doctrine for "enjoying good and stopping evil".

In December, the organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) published a study resulting in 40% of Afghan media being wiped out and over 80% of women journalists lost their jobs after the Taliban took afghanistan.

Research shows that the environment for journalists in the capital Kabul and other parts of the country has become "extremely dangerous". Critics say conditions for local journalists to work freely have since worsened.

Also, hundreds of journalists have left Afghanistan since August, due to fears of Taliban punishments and problems that the exercise of their profession brings under the new regime.

According to RSF research, over 6,400 journalists and media workers have lost jobs since August 15th when the Taliban took control of the Afghan capital, Kabul.

The ban on Voice of America and the BBC programmes comes as the Taliban has been placed under increasing pressure and international criticism for closing schools for Afghan girls.

The Taliban opened eight-year schools after the winter break on March 23, marking the end of the school year for most Afghan provinces.

But de facto authorities decided at the last minute not to allow girls over sixth grade to return to classes, saying that adequate preparations had not yet been made for them, such as p.sh. school uniforms, in accordance with Islamic Sharia law.

Afghan girls and women's rights activists took to the streets Saturday to demand that the Taliban reopen schools for girls. They pledged to start protests across the country if authorities do not allow girls to school banks within a week.

The international community has not yet recognised the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate government, based on human rights concerns, terrorism and the lack of all involvement in the government consisting only of men in Kabul.


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